Students On LOA Will Be Allowed To Take National Exams If They Test Negative For COVID-19: MOE, SEAB

The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) have updated the arrangements for national year-end examinations. These updated exam instructions for every school were made to allow as many students as possible to take the exams while also ensuring the safety of candidates and staff.

The national year-end written examinations for key subjects will start from 15 September. This will first begin with the GCE N levels up until the GCE A level examinations. 

MOE And SEAB: Updated Exam Arrangements And Instructions For School Students

In a press release on Saturday (28 August), MOE and SEAB announced the following exam arrangements and instructions for school students amidst the pandemic:

• Students placed on a leave of absence (LOA) after coming into close contact with a confirmed case will be allowed to sit in for the exams. This is if they test negative for COVID-19 in antigen rapid tests (ARTs).
• Students on LOA may also take the national exams if they are not awaiting any quarantine order. They will be required to take the ART at their school or examination venue every two days until their LOA is rescinded.
• Those on LOA due to a household member being given a quarantine order or a stay-home notice will be allowed to take the exams if their ART is negative. These students will also have to undergo testing at regular intervals. 
• Students on approved absence because they are staying in the same household with members aged six years and above with flu-like symptoms and pending polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results will also be allowed to sit for year-end exams. This is if a one-time ART has negative results. 

“They can do a self-swab with ART kits at home and inform their schools of the outcome before their examination. For candidates on (approved absence) due to being placed on the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) mandatory testing regime or Health Risk Warning alert, they must complete their MOH-mandated entry PCR test and test negative before they can sit their examinations,” says MOE and SEAB in their joint statement. 

Parents Or Guardians Should Accompany Students Taking The PSLE

The ministry and SEAB add that students taking their Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) will have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian in view of their younger age.

This way they can help administer the test if students are required to undergo any ART at their school or examination venue. Parents or guardians may also give consent for students to undergo a supervised self-administered ART.

For students who happen to miss the national examinations with valid reasons can apply for special consideration. SEAB will then consider multiple sources of evidence when awarding a grade for these affected candidates.

This includes evidence such as the candidate’s performance in the other papers and the school cohort’s performance in both national and school-based examinations for the affected subject. 

Safe Management Measures To Continue To Be Implemented

MOE and SEAB are ensuring that safe management measures continue to be implemented at schools and examination venues. These will include:

• Temperature taking and visual screening 
• Wearing surgical masks or reusable masks of equivalent efficiency
• A maximum of 30 candidates in each classroom with seating arrangements 1.5 metres apart
• Staggering dismissal of candidates
• Segregating entry and exit routes to minimise intermingling of candidates

Breakdown Of The 2021 Exam Arrangements And Instructions For School Students

Source: MOE

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