Mr Yap Boon Chuan

Mr Yap Boon Chuan was born in Penang and taught there until 1954, when he came to Singapore to teach in St. Joseph Institution. At St. Joseph Institution, he took on the role of football master and introduced rugby and cricket to the school. In 1957, he was awarded a scholarship to Loughborough College for Physical Education (PE) teacher training. Upon his return in 1960, Mr Yap taught in Raffles Institution where he was the rugby and football master. In 1961, Mr Yap joined the Extra-curricular Activities Centre (ECAC) Branch as a PE Inspector. As a PE Inspector, he would visit schools to understand the practice of PE on the ground. During his school visits, he saw the need for professional development amongst PE teachers and to have a formal curriculum to promote the teaching of PE and sports.

Mr Yap became a PE lecturer at Teachers Training College (TTC) in 1963 and committed a good part of his career teaching PE teachers. Besides teaching PE and sports at TTC, Mr Yap, together with fellow PE lecturers also started the outdoor training camps for trainee teachers in the 1960s.

While these outdoor training camps were an informal curriculum in TTC, the outdoor camping experiences provided lasting lessons for many trainee teachers. During the 1970s, some PE teachers would return to TTC during school holidays to help conduct outdoor training camps for other trainee teachers. Their colleagues and students in TTC fondly knew this group of closely knitted PE teachers who conducted numerous outdoor training camps as ‘camping instructors’.

In 1966, Mr Yap was appointed the national football coach for the Asian Games in Bangkok. He was given only three months to prepare for the Asian Games and he wasted no time to instill disciplined, rigorous training for the national football team. The stadium in Bangkok set the scene of Singapore’s best football showing in the Asian Games. After playing four games in four straight nights, Singapore beat the likes of Thailand and South Vietnam to reach the semi-finals for the first time. Singapore was then pipped to the bronze medal by Japan. Reaching the football semi-finals of Asian Games in 1966 remains a feat yet to be repeated by the national football team.

Recollections of Mr Yap Boon Chuan by former PE students:

• The Gentleman-Sportsman

  • I remember Mr Yap as a gentle but firm rugby master. He was demanding and strict as a trainer - there was no doubt about it. But at the same time, he encouraged, nudged and urged his players to do that extra lap or one more practice scrum, rather than push and shout at them to do more. I would describe him as a gentleman-sportsman; tough but not rough: the very ideals that the sport of rugby tries to instil among its players.

  • Abdullah Tarmugi
    Former Minister for Community Development and Sports

• The Father - "Pa Pa Yap"

  • I remember Mr Yap as the fatherly figure in the Teachers' Training College, PE Department. His concerns for his trainee teachers went beyond his role as a lecturer as he also cared for their well-being and general welfare. It was not uncommon to see young teachers approaching him for fatherly advice and counsel. Mr Yap was fondly called "Pa Pa Yap" by those who had benefited from his fatherly care. His passion then was in football, and needless to say, that was where his major contributions were. From coach, FAS Council Member, Adviser - he had served them all.

  • We have always admired Mr Yap for maintaining such a good physique, even at his present age. When asked, he would quip: "Charming on the outside, alarming on the inside". That's Mr Yap, always having one wise crack to cheer you up and make you feel at ease no matter who you are...his student, colleague or stranger.

  • Robert Tan
    Former Educator and Former Director (Sports Excellence), Singapore Sports Council

• The Teacher Who Kept It "Short And Sharp"

  • I had the privilege of having some tutorials under Mr Yap. The lessons that Mr Yap taught are etched into the innermost depths of my memory.

  • One lesson he taught was the ABC of Learning - that "An Antecedent leads to a Behaviour, which if Changed, then learning, whether good or bad, has occurred." It was a simple, profound and practical philosophy for a beginning teacher. He asked if we understood, and we said "yes". He then stood up and said, "Good. If there is no necessity for further explanation, then class is dismissed", and walked out.

  • Mr Yap's lesson was one on "let's keep it short and sharp". It was a lesson on management - that if we had taught well, then students would have learnt; if students had learnt, then don't overkill. That lesson was delivered in the mid 80's. How relevant it is for us today when we are called to "Teach Less, Learn More".

  • Chan Chee Wei
    Director of Sports, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

References

Aplin, N. (Eds.). (2009). Perspectives on Physical Education and Sports Science in Singapore: An Eye on the Youth Olympic Games 2010. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia).

A Note of Appreciation

PESTA would like to thank Mr Yap Boon Chuan for the interview on 29 July 2011. We would also like to thank Mr Abdullah Tamugi, Mr Chan Chee Wei and Mr Robert Tan for their sharing on Mr Yap Boon Chuan.