MOE: Lower risk school activities can gradually resume from 27 July

Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday announced that secondary schools and pre-university will soon be able to gradually resume lower-risk co-curricular and school-based activities.

In a press release, MOE stated that from the week of 27 July 2020, secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute will have the option to resume lower-risk co-curricular activities (CCAs) and other school activities, with appropriate safe management measures (SMMs) in place.

Such activities for primary schools will only be allowed to resume at a later date, once MOE is able to assess the progress for the older students.

CCSs and school activities that are allowed to resume must have the following SMMs in place, which may require adjustments to game formats and rules:

• Maximum of 20 students per activity and where possible, the composition of participants should be fixed to minimise inter-mingling. For example, badminton CCAs may resume, with a maximum of 20 participants per venue;
• Within the activity, groups of five or fewer students can interact more closely. For example, there can be a group of five students in a computer club working on a software programme, four students playing doubles for table tennis, or a two vs two basketball game;
• Modified game rules will apply, such that students will be at least one-metre apart, even for physical activities; and
• Schools will continue to screen all visitors, including coaches and instructors, for flu-like symptoms such as fever and cough, and ensure that they comply with all SMMs.

CCAs and school activities that involve the following will remain suspended:

• Activities that involve singing, wind instruments, voice projection and Uniformed Groups foot drills and parades that involve loud shouting of commands.
• Activities with high level of body contact such as Judo, Taekwondo sparring, Rugby scrum and tackle
• Programmes involving inter-mingling between schools such as combined CCA, including Combined Uniformed Groups, Strategic Partnership-CCA, inter-school collaborations for Applied Learning Programme/Learning for Life Programme and Junior Sports Academy.
• CCAs/programmes that are conducted at external venues such as Golf, Bowling, Fencing, Shooting, Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Waterpolo, Canoeing and Sailing.
• Learning Journeys, Values in Action and enrichment outside schools.
• Student Work Attachments, Student Research Attachment Programmes.
• Inter-school enrichment activities.
• Outdoor Adventure Camps.

MOE highlighted that there are no mandated timelines for CCA resumption and schools will have flexibility in deciding when activities will resume, while also ensuring that the workload of teachers and students remain manageable.

The situation will continue to be monitored and MOE will review its plans in tandem with the national posture. The necessary support will also be provided to schools, educators, and students as more aspects of school life gradually resume. MOE urges students and staff to continue practising good personal hygiene and social responsibility, and abide by SMMs, whether in or outside school.

Over the past two months, MOE has been progressively resuming school activities, with physical lessons in schools having resumed for all levels of students, who have adjusted well to the various SMMs in place.   

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