In a move to improve the physical fitness of Singaporeans, the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) scheme just got harder.

If you thought running 2.4km was hard, you now have to do 5km instead. Red Sports understands that some officials wanted to hold back Secondary 4 students from further studies if they failed but the idea was eventually dropped as “too draconian”.

“We are Singaporeans, not Spartans,” said Ministry of Education spokesperson Mr Wo Hern Fei.

The Ministry of Defence is understandably pleased that the standards for the NAPFA test is getting harder.

“2.4km is nothing,” said MINDEF spokesperson COL Chin Chia Keen. “5km is the bare minimum.”

“If wars are fought online, Singaporeans will win,” alluding to the penchant of Singaporeans to just sit and play online video games like Warcraft all day. “But we need real men!”

The cut off time for the 5km is understood to be 35 minutes.

“Anything longer than that is just walking,” said COL Chin.

Students who make the mark will serve only one year and 10 months for National Service.

According to data from the Ministry of Education, the percentage of students passing NAPFA has been increasing steadily over the years, from 58% in 1992 to 74% in 1998, and further to 80% in 2007. This has led to comments that the NAPFA test is too easy.

Some parents are worried sick.

“5km? Are they mad? My boy cannot take the sun. It’s so hot in Singapore,” said a parent who didn’t want to be named in case MINDEF targets her boy. “I hope they allow them to run the 5km on a treadmill in an air-con gym.”

Polytechnic student Zhen Tian Chi only had one thing to say, “Like that die lah.”