Press Releases
Precautionary Measures to Cope With Influenza A (H1N1) When School Reopens
Schools will re-open on Monday, 29 June 2009, as scheduled. To slow down the spread of the H1N1 virus in the school community and in Singapore when school re-opens, MOE will issue a 7-day Leave of Absence (LOA) to all school staff and students returning from affected countries , on and after 22 June 2009, to stay away from school. There will also be stepped up precautionary measures and public education efforts in schools.
Implementation of Leave of Absence (LOA)
Schools will communicate with all parents via multiple channels to obtain the updated travel history of their children, inform them of the implementation of LOA, and update them on any new advisories given out by MOH. The multiple channels include phone calls, emails, postal letters and notices on school websites.
Schools will remind all school staff and students to exercise social responsibility to declare their travel history if they have been to affected countries and to stay at home for 7 days before returning to schools.
Continuity in Learning for Students on LOA
For students who are issued LOA, schools will provide Home-Based Learning (HBL) lessons to them, based on what the rest of their classmates are learning in school. Schools will deliver the materials for HBL and monitor the students’ progress through various channels, such as mail, telephone, hand delivery, email and the school’s learning management system. Schools will also keep parents informed of the learning activities and accompanying study schedule. This will allow parents to play a complementary role by helping to monitor their children’s progress in following the lessons prepared by the teachers. When these students return to school, teachers may also conduct make-up lessons to ensure they catch up with their classmates.
Extra attention will be paid to graduating cohorts of students. Schools will conduct make-up classes and remedial lessons to help them catch up with their studies, and to prepare them adequately for the national examinations.
Additional Precautionary Measures
When school re-opens on 29 June, schools will implement a number of precautionary measures. There will be several layers of checks. This includes setting up stations at the school gates to screen students and staff who are entering the school premises. At the screening stations, those who have returned from affected countries on and after 22 Jun but who may have missed the earlier notifications, will be served LOA and asked to go home. Those who are unwell will be also advised to go home. In the first hour, class teachers will conduct a temperature taking exercise and students will be asked to submit their declaration forms. Students who register a fever, or who have travelled to affected countries, will be immediately moved to another room. Those who are unwell and have travelled recently to affected countries will be isolated and taken by ambulance for medical treatment via 993. The school will inform the parents of other unwell students so that they can bring them to see a doctor and seek their cooperation to exercise social responsibility and ensure that their children are well before returning to school.
Schools will institute twice daily temperature taking, and closely monitor students. In addition, school assemblies will be suspended and CCAs scaled down during the first week after school reopens in order to minimise congregation of school staff and students. Recess will also be staggered. Schools will continue to keep their premises clean and remind their staff and students to maintain high standards of personal hygiene. There will also be tighter school security. All visitors will also be screened for travel history and temperature taking before they enter school premises.
Cooperation by Parents
MOE seeks the cooperation of parents to safeguard the health of their child and all students. Parents are requested to:
Inform their child’s class teacher if their child has returned from an affected country on or after 22 Jun and not send their child to school for 7 days from the date of their return to Singapore;
Complete the travel declaration form that will be sent to them before school opens and ask their child to submit it to their teacher on the first day of return to school. As there will be no assembly for the first week, students should report to their form classes; and
Exercise social responsibility by ensuring that their child does not go to school, but stays at home and sees the doctor if he/she is unwell.
School and Public Education
To support schools in their effort to educate students in maintaining high standards of personal hygiene and practise social responsibility, MOE has developed an Education Package on H1N1 for students of all levels.
All schools will receive the Education Package before school reopening. The package includes a set of slides for teachers to use in educating and advising their students, posters to be displayed at strategic locations within the school to raise student awareness, as well as pamphlets for students to bring home and share with their parents. The pamphlets will include messages on good hygiene practices and social responsibility, for example on how students on LOA should stay at home to monitor their health condition and not congregate at public places.
Schools will dedicate time on the first day of school for teachers to help students gain a better understanding of H1N1 and the situation in Singapore. Teachers will use the materials to educate their students and communicate to them the importance of their role in helping to slow down the spread of H1N1.
Close Monitoring of Dynamic Situation
MOE is in close consultation with MOH and will activate appropriate measures should there be a need to. Parents and students can check the MOE website for more details. They can also contact MOE Customer Service Centre at 6872-2220 or call their child’s school if they have any query.