There is good news for students who will sit for PSLE and GCE Oral examinations this year. The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced just yesterday that about 297,000 students would have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine before schools reopen on 28 June.
This makes for 96 per cent of over 310,000 of eligible students who registered for vaccination appointments since 1 June.
Along with the breakdown of student vaccination rates, MOE also gave out updated details of safe management measures for 2021 national examinations in a joint press release with the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB).
So if your child is gearing up for these examinations, they can go to their centre without concerns of an infection.
MOE And SEAB: Safe Management Measures For PSLE And GCE Oral Examinations
On Wednesday (23 June), MOE and SEAB outlined enhanced safe management measures for PSLE and Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (GCE) oral examinations.
This is part of the ministry's efforts to:
- Safeguard the safety and well-being of students
- Ensure safety and well-being of school staff
- Minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission
As part of the safety measures for PSLE and GCE oral exams, all candidates and oral examiners will be required to wear surgical masks.
Both MOE and SEAB also noted that facial expressions will not be taken into consideration for the assessment so candidates will not be disadvantaged when they wear masks during the PSLE and GCE oral examinations.
To ensure that oral examiners and candidates can hear each other properly, the following procedures will be put in place:
- Before the exams begin, oral examiners will ask each candidate to state their name and school loudly.
- Candidates may request oral examiners to repeat their questions or speak louder. They will not be penalised for requesting to do so. Oral examiners may also do the same vice versa.
- Oral examiners are to also take mask-wearing into consideration when assessing the candidates.
MOE and SEAB also released further Covid-19 safe management measures for PSLE and GCE oral examinations. These include:
- Temperature and symptom screening for entry into schools and examination venues
- Staggered dismissal of candidates
- Frequent cleaning of high touch surfaces
- Well-ventilated venues such as halls and classrooms will be used
According to the joint statement from MOE and SEAB, students will also not be allowed to for the PSLE and GCE oral and listening comprehension examinations if they:
- Are infected with Covid-19
- Have been placed under a Quarantine Order (QO) or Stay Home Notice
- Have been issued with a Leave of Absence (LOA) due to close contact with a confirmed case or a household member of someone on QO
- Are on medical leave due to Acute Respiratory Infection
- Are on Approved Absence due to staying in the same household with members who have flu-like symptoms
"As the oral examinations are conducted over several days, candidates who miss the oral examinations on their assigned date with valid reasons (e.g. vaccination appointment that was booked earlier) can take the examinations on another date within the oral examination window or sit for the make-up oral examination," stated MOE and SEAB.
Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) will now also resume from 12 July for secondary schools, Junior Colleges / Millennia Institute in line with national guidelines for the safety and well-being of students and staff. For primary schools, in-person CCA will resume on the fifth week of Term 3.
Common Last Topics Will Be Removed In PSLE 2021
Similar to last year, MOE and SEAB have also announced the removal of Common Last Topics (CLT) in the 2021 PSLE. This is to support the well-being of Primary 6 students who may not have gotten to learn as effectively during home-based learning.
On the other hand, these considerations will not affect the 2021 GCE-level examinations. They are less applicable to older students who over 90 percent are expected to be fully vaccinated by August.
MOE and SEAB added, "Drawing on last year’s experience of 3.5-weeks of full Home-Based Learning (HBL), schools were able to carry out 7 days of full HBL smoothly from 19 to 28 May this year, and are expected to be able to cover the examinable curriculum in good time for this year’s national examinations."
Common Last Topics (CLT) To Be Removed In PSLE 2021
| Subject | Topic |
| Standard Mathematics |
Primary 6 content under:
|
| Foundation Mathematics |
Primary 6 content under:
|
| Standard and Foundation Science | Interactions within the Environment |
Source: MOE
ICYMI: Number Of Students Who Have Registered Or Received Their Vaccination
| Level | Number of sign-ups | Number of students who have received their first jab (Of those who have signed up) |
Projected number of students who would have received their first jab by 28 June (Of those who have signed up) |
| Graduating cohorts from Mainstream, Madrasahs and Privately Funded Schools | 52,000 | 48,000 | 50,000 |
| Non-Graduating cohorts from Mainstream, Privately Funded Schools and Special Education Schools | 138,000 | 108,000 | 133,000 |
| Students from the Institutes of Higher Learning | 120,000 | 81,000 | 115,000 |
Source: MOE
Lead image source from Facebook / Ministry of Education, Singapore.
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