PUBLISHED MAR 24, 2016, 4:50 PM |  UPDATED APR 5, 2016, 10:09 | The Straits Times 

 

SINGAPORE – The rustic Coney Island, sited off Punggol and Pasir Ris, will see a new Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) campus as part of a new masterplan to make young people more resilient, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Thursday (March 24).

 

Announcing the National Outdoor Adventure Education Masterplan during his Budget speech in Parliament, he said that in order to thrive, youth need a sense of adventure, resilience and a readiness to challenge themselves to be their best.

 

To help students develop those attributes, outdoor adventure education for all will be expanded, he added.

 

The new OBS campus is expected to be ready in 2020 and will cost about $250 million. It will be the second in Singapore, after the current 9ha campus on Pulau Ubin. 

 

The campus will be rustic and blend in with the rest of the island, Mr Heng said.

 

Coney Island, where a nature park opened to the public last October, will remain open. It is connected to the mainland by two bridges on its western and eastern ends to Punggol Promenade and Pasir Ris Coast Industrial Park 6.

 

“Many more youths will have the chance to go on an expedition with OBS,” Mr Heng said, adding that it will help them build confidence and develop camaraderie with students from other schools.