Education Ministry to provide daily updates on school operations
Children at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, which was opened to the public yesterday. Photo: Jason Quah
SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Education (MOE) will issue press releases should there be any school closures and parents will also be informed by the schools, the agency said yesterday as it declared an unprecedented one-day shutdown of primary and secondary schools due to the haze.
To avoid confusion, the decision from the previous day on whether to open or shut schools will stay even if there are changes to the air quality.
Meanwhile the authority overseeing preschools said that even though child care centres and kindergartens are open today, parents may still wish to take precautionary measures by keeping their children at home.
“Nevertheless all child care centres and kindergartens will remain open to provide custodial care for parents who do not have alternative care arrangements,” said the Early Childhood Development Agency in a press release last night.
As MOE kindergartens and special education schools are closed today, parents who are unable to make alternative care arrangements may also continue to send their children to the schools. Teachers will supervise them, said the education ministry, adding that school-based care centres will operate for existing students.
All Junior Colleges, Centralised Institute and Post-Education Institutes, namely the Autonomous Universities, Polytechnics and ITEs, will remain open. Due to the school closure, the GCE O-Level Music Practical and Higher Music Practical examinations which was scheduled to be held today will be moved to next Tuesday.
The school candidates will be informed through their educational institutes. Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said at a briefing yesterday that a “small number” of slightly over 100 students are affected by the change.
The MOE said primary and secondary schools have haze management plans in place and are ready to put them in place.
The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) are also armed with haze management plans. For example, air purifiers will be provided during national examinations so that there will be no disruption should the haze worsen during the tests.
If the haze forecast for the following day indicates that air quality could be at the “hazardous” level, prompting school closures, national exams will be rescheduled. This may mean that exam periods will be extended.
The announcement on the rescheduling of examinations will be made together with any announcement by the education ministry on school closure. School candidates will be informed through their schools, while private candidates will be informed by SEAB.
When asked if there are any alternative plans for the Primary School Leaving Examinations that will be held next week should the haze persists at high levels, Mr Heng said: “We will certainly announce our plans … this is a very fast moving situation but we are prepared”.
