01 May 2020
Schools all over Singapore have put their students on full home-based learning (HBL) since April. The Ministry of Education has also cancelled all mid-year examinations, but is still proceeding with national ones such as the GCE N, O and A levels.
Although the removal of mid year exams have taken the load off some students, it has also removed a key marker that can be used to gauge academic progress.
Schools are given the freedom to conduct HBL as they deem fit. Some have more online learning that resembles actual school lessons, and others have more offline work.
Home-based learning also presents a host of challenges, such as maintaining good learning schedules, sharing spaces and being mindful of boundaries.
In a Facebook post, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said: “HBL is a fallback when schools are suspended. It cannot be a prolonged substitute for school.”
On its part, MOE has brought forward the June school holidays to May 5 and rescheduled the GCE-level mother tongue examinations from early June to later in the month. It will also remove common last topics from the national examinations to further allay students concerns and anxiety about catching up with the curriculum.