WP MP Kenneth Tiong calls for air-conditioning in all classrooms amid haze
Workers’ Party (WP) MP Kenneth Tiong has called for air-conditioning in every classroom, arguing that it would allow schools to keep windows closed while purifying the air during haze episodes.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (13 Oct), the Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament (MP) for Serangoon division said classrooms currently lack the ability to control indoor temperatures when windows are closed.
Source: Kenneth Tiong on Facebook
His call comes as Singapore experiences unhealthy air quality, with the Ministry of Education (MOE) saying it would consider closing schools and postponing national examinations if the next day’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) forecast exceeds 300.
Kenneth Tiong says air-conditioning would help schools manage haze
Mr Tiong said he had advocated for air-conditioning in every classroom and raised the issue in Parliament last September and again in March.
He clarified that he was not calling for air-conditioning to be switched on all the time, but for schools to have the option of controlling classroom conditions when outdoor air quality deteriorates.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube, for illustrative purposes only
He argued that Singapore’s classrooms were designed for open windows and fans, meaning indoor air could be affected by conditions outside.
Under MOE’s current haze measures, lessons and national examinations continue in enclosed venues with air purifiers.
However, Mr Tiong pointed to National Environment Agency (NEA) guidance that air purifiers may not work as rated if doors and windows are not closed.
He also noted that enclosed rooms with many people could become hot, while fans merely circulate the air.
Without air-conditioning, he argued, schools would struggle to keep classrooms cool while keeping windows closed during haze episodes.
MP compares school measures with preschool arrangements
Mr Tiong also highlighted differences between haze measures for schools and preschools.
He cited guidance requiring preschools to keep children in rooms with doors and windows closed, with fans or air-conditioners switched on.
“And MOE’s own haze plan says a student who becomes unwell at school ‘will be temporarily accommodated in an air-conditioned room with an air purifier’,” he wrote.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook, for illustrative purposes only
Mr Tiong questioned why air-conditioning was not available in every classroom, given that children could move from preschool to Primary 1 within a year.
He noted that a Primary 1 class could have up to 30 pupils, and suggested that the difference in arrangements stemmed from the agencies overseeing the institutions: the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) for preschools and MOE for schools.
“I believe a child should not have to fall ill first,” he wrote.
MOE may close schools if forecast PSI exceeds 300
In a Facebook post on Saturday (10 Oct), Education Minister Desmond Lee said MOE would consider closing schools and postponing national examinations if the next day’s forecast entered the hazardous range, defined as a 24-hour PSI exceeding 300.
Mr Lee said lessons and national examinations would continue in enclosed venues with air purifiers for the time being, adding that schools were prepared to step up measures if necessary.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook
Any decision to close schools would be announced at around 8pm the day before through schools and MOE’s official channels.
Students who are unwell and unable to sit their national examinations may apply for Special Consideration through their schools.
Mr Tiong also referenced school closures in neighbouring Johor, where schools were reported to have been closed from 8 to 16 Oct as the haze worsened.
He argued that equipping classrooms with air-conditioning would allow schools to close windows, purify the air and keep rooms cool, then reopen windows when air quality improves.
“This is about the health of our children and our teachers,” he wrote. “If our schools are adequately equipped, we do not need to close them.”
Also read: S’pore’s PM2.5 reading hits ‘Very High’ range in the west, CCs begin N95 mask distribution
S’pore’s PM2.5 reading hits ‘Very High’ range in the west, CCs begin N95 mask distribution
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Featured image adapted from Desmond Lee on Facebook and image courtesy of xdavestrix.
