All schools to shift to full home-based learning from May 19 to 28, amid sharp rise in community cases: MOE

• Preschools and student care centres will remain open to support parents who need to work
• MOE said the move was due to the sharp increase in the number of community cases
• This includes a spike in unlinked cases on May 16
• All centre-based tuition and enrichment classes should move activities online till June 13

SINGAPORE — From Wednesday (May 19), all primary, secondary, junior college (JC) and Millennia Institute students, including those from special education schools, will move to full home-based learning until the end of the current school term on May 28, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced on Sunday.

Preschools and student care centres will remain open to support parents who need to work.

“As work-from-home will be the default mode at workplaces, parents are encouraged to keep their children at home during this period where possible,” MOE said.

During the June holidays, schools will allow graduating cohorts to return in small groups where necessary. The mid-year GCE O- and A-Level Mother Tongue Language examinations will proceed as planned and with strict safe management measures in place.

MOE said that the shift to full home-based learning was due to the sharp increase in the number of community cases, including the spike in cases with no links to past cases on Sunday.

“There is a need to reduce interactions and avoid the risk of large clusters. As such, MOE will be stepping up precautionary measures to safeguard the well-being of all students and staff," it said.

On Sunday, Singapore recorded 49 new cases of Covid-19, of which 38 were locally transmitted infections.

Of the 38, 18 had no known sources of infection. Thirteen people had already been placed on quarantine earlier, the Ministry of Health said. All 38 cases were in the community, and there were no new cases in the dormitories.

This is the highest number of community cases in more than a year, since the 40 locally transmitted infections reported on April 14 last year.

MOE added that during the full home-based learning phase, schools will continue to provide instructions and support for students to access a range of both online and hardcopy home-based learning materials, “so that learning continues uninterrupted”.

Schools will also assist students who may require digital devices or internet access.

The Singapore Student Learning Space platform will continue to be accessible to students during this period.

MOE reiterated that schools will remain open for students who need more support. In particular, parents working in essential services or are unable to secure alternative care arrangements may approach their children’s primary schools for assistance.

Over at the institutes of higher learning such as polytechnics and universities, attendance on campus will be reduced, with more classes converted to online learning where possible, “with the exception of essential in-person sessions such as labs, practicals and final-year projects”.

These will continue to be conducted in person with the necessary safe management measurements in place.

“These measures will hold until end of Phase Two (heightened alert) or further notice,” MOE said.

For preschools, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is prepared to waive the requirement for minimum attendance for subsidies.

MOE said that ECDA is also prepared to waive the requirement for preschools to remain in operation at required hours during this period, if all parents in the preschool decide to keep their children at home.

The ministry reiterated that all centre-based tuition and enrichment classes should move activities online until the end of Phase Two (heightened alert) on June 13.

“This is necessary to reduce the intermingling of students from different schools and enhance the safety of our students,” it added.