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All primary schools and Special Education (SPED) schools offering the National Curriculum will begin full home-based learning (HBL) from Sep. 27 to Oct. 6, in view of the recent rise in Covid-19 cases among the community in Singapore.

Primary 6 students will go on a study break from Sep. 25 to 29, and return to school for the written paper of the Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE) on Sep. 30.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Saturday (Sep. 18), this is meant to better protect younger students who are not yet medically eligible for vaccination.

Minimise risk of school-based transmissions

The PSLE written papers will begin on Sep. 30, and end on Oct. 6 this year.

Similar to arrangements made in 2020, Primary 6 students will go on a study break prior to the PSLE, from Sep. 25 to 29.

As an added precaution, MOE will also implement HBL for all Primary 1 to 5 students this year.

"This is to minimise the risk of school-based transmissions and reduce the number of students placed on Quarantine Order (QO) or Leave of Absence (LOA) prior to the examination," said MOE.

You can see the arrangements for primary school students in the lead-up to PSLE here:

According to MOE, Primary and SPED schools will remain open for students who require additional support during the HBL period.

MOE Kindergartens, KCare Services and Student Care Centres will also operate normally.

Parents who are unable to work from home or secure alternative care arrangements can approach their children's schools for assistance.

Encouraged to take ART test before returning to school

To ensure the safe return of students to school, MOE is strongly encouraging students to do an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) swab test on the following dates:

• Primary 6: Either on Sep. 27 or Sep. 28
• Primary 1-5: Either on Oct. 4 or Oct. 5

According to MOE, this will allow for sufficient time to take a confirmatory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test if necessary.

This is in case a student tests positive for his or her ART swab test, or if the student obtains two consecutive invalid ART results.

MOE said that they will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation closely, and implement additional measures to keep the school environment safe, where necessary.

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Top image via MOE/FB.