National Schools Malay Games 2025: Official Guidelines

Overview

The National Schools Malay Games 2025 is an initiative to promote traditional Malay games in Singapore schools. The competition features four traditional games, fostering cultural appreciation, teamwork, and sportsmanship among students. This event is open to students of all races, reflecting Singapore’s multicultural spirit. Matches and instructions will be conducted in both the National Language, Malay, and English. Certain commands, such as “Mula” (start), will be in Malay, alongside the necessary etiquette for the games.

Games

The games featured are:

  1. Congkak
  2. Capteh
  3. Gasing
  4. Batu Seremban

*Only Akar Education Game Sets will be used for this event.

Click here to find out more about our game sets.

Competition Format

The tournament will consist of four rounds:

  • Knock-Out Round: Top 8 teams advance to Quarterfinals.
  • Quarterfinals: 8 teams compete in 4 matches (Match A, B, C, D). Top 4 teams advance to Semi-finals.
  • Semi-finals: 4 teams compete in 2 matches (Match E, F). Top 2 teams advance to Finals.
  • Finals: 2 teams compete for the championship. The referees will be the losing teams from the Semi-finals.

Team Composition

  • Minimum Teams per School: 1 team of 4 members.
  • Team Roles: Each team member has an additional role:
    • 1 Team Captain
    • 3 Team Referees
  • Multiple Teams per School: If more than 1 team participates, there must be a designated School Captain and School Referee.

Hosting and Refereeing

  1. Host Schools:
    • The host school will organise matches and serve as referees for visiting teams.
    • Host schools do not compete in matches held at their venue.
  2. Visiting Teams:
    • Visiting teams will compete at host schools.
    • Schools will rotate hosting responsibilities.
  3. Game Equipment:
    • Matches will use either the host school’s or the visiting school’s game sets, as decided by the host school.

Category Divisions

Participants are divided into four categories:

  1. Lower Primary: Ages 7–9
  2. Upper Primary: Ages 10–12
  3. Secondary: Ages 13–16
  4. Post-Secondary: Ages 17–18 (JCs, CIs, etc.)

Fee Structure

  • Team Participation Fee: $40 per team.
  • Player Participation Fee: $5 per game per player (up to $20 for all 4 games).
  • Game Sets: Each team will receive one set of games to practise.
    • Additional game items can be purchased separately.

Schedule and Hosting Details

Knock-Out Round:

  • All participating schools will be matched through random balloting.
  • Matches will take place at rotating host schools starting from Term 2 (24 March 2025) onwards.

Quarterfinals:

  • 4 matches: A, B, C, and D.
  • Host schools for each match will also referee the games.

Semi-finals:

  • 2 matches: E and F.
  • Host schools will referee games.

Finals:

  • 1 match to determine the champion.
  • Refereed by the losing teams from Semi-finals, hosted at their respective schools.
  • All matches will be completed by Term 3 (before 5 September 2025).

Teacher-in-Charge Responsibility

Each participating school must designate a Teacher-in-Charge (Teacher IC) to accompany their students, regardless of whether the school is a playing or hosting school. The teacher-student ratio will depend on the school’s policy. In general, a ratio of 1 teacher to 20 students is recommended. The Teacher IC will:

  • Ensure the safety and well-being of all students under their care.
  • Oversee the conduct and safety of visiting students when hosting.
  • Act as the primary point of contact for the organisers during the matches.

Rules and Regulations

General Rules:

  • Players must adhere to the game-specific rules provided by the organiser.
  • Teams must wear their school uniform or designated sports attire during matches.

Referee Rules:

  • Referees must ensure fair play and adhere to the official rulebook for each game.
  • Any disputes will be resolved by the host school referees.

Host School Rules:

  • Provide adequate facilities and equipment for matches.
  • Ensure proper conduct and supervision during the games.
  • Decide which game sets will be used for each match.

Logistics

Equipment:

  • Game sets will be distributed to each team upon registration.
  • Additional sets can be purchased via Akar Education.

Balloting:

  • All match pairings will be decided by random ballot before each round.

Awards:

  • Prizes (trophies) and certificates will be awarded to the top 3 teams in each category.
  • Participation certificates will be provided to all teams.

Registration Process

  1. Schools must register via the official registration form by 24 January 2025. The form will include fields for the Teacher-in-Charge (Teacher IC) and any additional teachers required based on the teacher-student ratio.
  2. Fees are to be paid upon registration confirmation via PayNow.
  3. Each school must submit the following:
    • Team list with member roles.
    • Indication of the number of teams participating.

Contact Information

For further details or clarifications, please contact:

  • Organising Committee: Akar Education
  • Email: hello@akar.com.sg
  • WhatsApp: +65 9297 8409

Let us celebrate and preserve our cultural heritage through the National Schools Malay Games 2025!