Earlier on Friday (Apr. 3), PM Lee announced that schools are to close in Singapore from Apr. 8, with students to engage in home-based learning instead.
In a press conference after PM Lee's address, education minister Ong Ye Kung elaborated a bit on this decision.
Why weren't schools closed earlier?
Ong said that schools have been implementing precautionary measures.
He then explained that they would have "closed schools long ago" if the virus behaved more like influenza and affected children more. Meaning if children are the "vectors for transmission".
The way Covid-19 behaved, he said, gave them the option of keeping schools open, provided that stringent precautionary measures were put in place.
"Keeping schools open this prevented a major disruption to people's lives," he said.
Ong further explained that this is especially so for children from families who do not have home-based support for education.
It also avoided a situation where students, especially teenagers, would roam around the community, "exposing them to more risk".
Have to be prepared for HBL possibility
Ong said that if there's widespread community transmission, there is a chance that there will be transmission in schools.
"We must always be prepared for that," he said.
And hence, he has always explained to parents that they do not rule out moving to "100 per cent home-based learning".
But if they do so, "it must be done at the right time and for the right reason".
The one day home-based learning they did helped every child get a handle on how this particular type of learning would work.
With the new national posture and need to implement a "national circuit breaker", Ong says that "it is now time" to move to full home-based learning.
Ong clarified that for parents who perform essential services such as health care, or do not have childcare support at home, they can register with the schools to send their children to school even during home-based learning days.
While the children are in school, there will be proper supervision, as well as safe distancing and precautionary measures.
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Top photo via Ong Ye Kung/FB