28 March 2020
The Singapore Government will keep public schools open because their closure will affect students from lower income households adversely.
The Ministry of Education has already indicated that the long-term absenteeism rates have crept up because support activities such as enrichment classes have been cancelled.
Families with good support structures can look after their children at home, but there are parents who are unable to be home with their children. Schools are also where children from less advantaged backgrounds have a chance to level up, as they get to socialise, go for enrichment classes and be guided by teachers.
Additionally, starting on April 1, all schools will conduct one day of home-based learning a week. Secondary schools on Thursdays, and junior colleges and centralised institutes on Fridays. Students will have about four to five hours of learning on the day of home-based learning, out of which two hours can be used to access digital devices.
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said that this move will better prepare parents and students for more days of home-based learning if and when it is required.
Co-curricular activities will remain suspended for the rest of Term 2, and so will other activities that involve mingling of students across schools like the National School Games.