Schools and kindergartens in Singapore will re-open for Term 2 next Monday, March 23, as planned, with enhanced precautionary measures in place to keep students and staff safe.
A 14-day Leave of Absence (LOA) will be issued to students and staff of schools, preschools and student care centres who have been out of Singapore on or after March 14. Day zero of the 14 days will commence from the date of their return to Singapore, the Ministry of Education said in a press statement.
Affected students and staff must stay away from school and preschool for the duration of their Stay Home Notice (SHN) or LOA.
Students on LOA, as well as those who have to stay away from school due to quarantine orders or SHN, will all be supported via home-based learning.
Also read: LOA, SHN, QO – Confused? All your questions answered here
Parents will have to take their own leave should they need to care for their children on LOA or SHN, MOE said. Employers have been encouraged to provide flexible work arrangements for their employees to accommodate such exceptional circumstances.
Meanwhile, schools have undergone thorough cleaning during the March holidays. For two weeks when schools re-open, Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) will be suspended, and the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Arts Presentation will be deferred.
Schools will be implementing a wipe-down routine in classrooms and canteens, as well as fixed exam-style seating for primary 3 students and above. There will be fixed group cluster seating for younger students, assigned seating and wipe-down routine in canteens, as well as assigned play areas for students to play in reduced group sizes.
Preschools will conduct health checks and more frequent temperature screening for all staff and students, and restrict visitors into the preschool compounds. Excursions and field trips are suspended. Large group and communal activities such as assemblies and mass celebrations will also be cancelled.
International schools in Singapore continue to remain closed, with individual institutes providing home-based learning materials for their students. For instance, United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) has preponed its Easter break, which has began Wednesday, March 18, with basic info kits handed to students.