The New Paper: Will Scouts and Guides compete for members?

Some unhappy that girls can now choose scouting as an CCA
(The New Paper, 15 July 2006)

THE decision to allow girls to join scouting as a CCA in primary and secondary schools has caused a stir. While some are overjoyed at the Ministry of Education's announcement, others are not. Girl Guides Singapore (GGS) chief commissioner Yvonne Lim said: 'It is regrettable that approval was given for the Singapore Scouts Association (SSA) to recruit girls into scouting.' This is because scouts and guides - seen as brother and sister organisations - will now 'compete' for members, said GGS deputy chief commissioner Jessie Tan. Lord Robert Baden-Powell, who founded both scouts and guides almost 100 years ago, had created two organisations because of the 'fundamental differences' between the sexes, she said. 'Or he wouldn't have started two separate movements,' said Ms Tan. So, she said, GGS would remain committed to being a single-sex organisation catering to the needs of girls and women. The scouts now focus on non-formal outdoor-based education for all youth, while guides seek personal development for girls in home, community, outdoor and international settings.

Mrs Chua Yen Ching, 47, principal designate for NorthLight School and vice-president of the guides' national council, said there would always be a place for guides. She said she developed confidence and leadership skills after becoming the teacher in charge of guides 20 years ago. Singapore Chinese Girls' School guide Christina Chew, 16, agreed. She said: 'It doesn't just teach you rugged skills, but homecraft skills. Nowadays, we are losing those skills traditionally taught to girls. 'We can't have a whole population of girls with no skills like cooking and tending to family.' But the scouts have a different take. Said one scout leader, who has been in scouting for 12 years: 'When Baden-Powell wrote Scouting For Boys, in that era and time, girls were not supposed to do what scouts do - running around in the jungle, going to camp. It was virtually unheard of, which is why he designed a special programme for the guides. 'That was 90 years ago. Now, society has changed and the girls want to assert their rights. What boys do, why can't they do?' Internationally, scouting evolved about 30 years ago. It's now a youth movement - regardless of colour, religion, and gender.

Today, 119 of the 155 countries with scouts - more than three-quarters - have girls in their organisation. Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan are among these. Said SSA chief commissioner Nicholas Tang: 'We felt that we need to keep up with the times. In this whole region, Singapore is the only one without girls in scouting in schools. We feel that girls can also benefit from the scout programme.' Hwa Chong Institution student and scout Anthony Chan, 18, supports the idea but has some worries: 'What if only one or two girls join a unit but there are many boys? Then the girls might be marginalised.' Han Jiaying, 16, a guide at Raffles Girls' School, added that the co-ed environment during physical activities would be awkward. She said: 'I would personally feel awkward and more withdrawn in the presence of the prying eyes of boys.' Ms Teo Hui Fang, 20, who joined scouts four years ago, said the boys may experience some inconvenience and adjustment issues switching from an all male to a co-ed environment. She recounted how the scouts in her unit learned to adjust and take her into consideration when planning activities and 'tone down' the way they speak and behave in front of a female scout.

Some scouts, like Lim Yuan Hao, 16, at North Vista Secondary, is fine with having girls join the CCA. There are already five girls in his school who love scouting so much that they have been taking part in the activities for a year without getting CCA points. He admitted it was 'quite a big change' at first, but he has since learnt how to bond with them. Tiong Yayan, 14, a girl scout at Yuan Ching Secondary, said: 'It's not girl or boy bonding. It's scout bonding.' More than 150 of the 10,000 or so scouts in Singapore are girls, while there are nearly 14,000 guides here. Mr Tang emphasised that SSA will not go on a massive recruitment campaign for girls. He said: 'We will leave it to the principals and educators. We are not going to push them. If they want to start, they can start. It must tie in with their educational goals and objectives.'