PSLE students 'will not be penalised for being late' to their exams due to train service disruptions: SEAB

They will be "given the full duration of the paper" as long as they reach the examination centre before the end of the paper, said SEAB.

By

Julia Yee

Hannah Martens

Winnie Li

September 25, 2024, 07:20 PM

Students who are taking the 2024 Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) written examinations from Sep. 26 to Oct. 2 "will not be penalised for being late to their examinations due to train service disruptions".

"Candidates will be given the full duration of the paper if they reach the examination centre before the end of the paper", a Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) spokesperson told Mothership.

The spokesperson added that there are existing arrangements for such situations of which students have been briefed.

Background

SEAB's response came after Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said in a Sep. 25 Facebook post that "there is a possibility" that normal train services along the East-West Line (EWL) will not be able to resume on Sep. 26.

Train services have been disrupted since 9am on Sep. 25 after a first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries train "developed a fault" while travelling Eastbound near Clementi station.

After detraining passengers at Clementi station, SMRT proceeded to withdraw the train towards Ulu Pandan depot, according to a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson.

During the process, a power trip was detected at 9:25am, causing trains between Queenstown and Boon Lay stations to stall.

In response, Chee said the Ministry of Transport (MOT) "is in touch with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and SEAB to prepare contingencies" to minimise the impact on PSLE students.

He added that LTA will conduct "a thorough investigation to ascertain what happened" and "identify areas for improvement".