Supporting students' wellbeing is a priority

We thank Ms Connie Ang for sharing her concerns on how COVID-19 has affected students ("Pupils have gone through a lot in the past two years", 28 Sep).

Just like in other aspects of our lives, the pandemic has presented us with unforeseen challenges that require us to respond nimbly. Students and teachers have to constantly adjust to precautionary measures put in place to ensure that schools remain a safe place for teaching and learning. They also have to rapidly adapt to new ways of teaching and learning during Home-Based Learning.

In schools, teachers check in regularly with students and monitor them for signs of stress and distress. Students also learn strategies to cope with stress and anxiety, care for themselves and seek help when in need. At home, parents play the irreplaceable role of guiding their children to make sense of these challenges and stay well-adjusted to cope with them.

We understand that the disruptions due to COVID-19 can cause students greater anxiety, particularly among those taking their national examinations. As such, we have removed Common Last Topics for the 2021 national examinations to ensure that teaching and learning is not rushed, and that students do not feel too anxious about their examinations. We would like to assure parents and students that the disruptions due to COVID-19 will be taken into account at national examinations to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by these exceptional circumstances.

Beyond these challenges, it has been encouraging to see how students have grown to become more self-directed and independent in their learning. We are proud of how our teachers have responded, by always placing students' wellbeing at the heart of what they do. We are also appreciative that parents are closely partnering schools to help students adapt to uncertainties with resilience.

We thank parents, students and teachers for understanding the need to dynamically adapt in response to the fluid COVID-19 situation. MOE and schools are determined to ensure the well-being of students and teachers as we learn to live with COVID-19. We are confident that with the support of parents, our students will learn valuable life lessons and emerge stronger.

Mr Sng Chern Wei
Deputy Director-General of Education (Curriculum), Ministry of Education