S’pore Students Can Expect A ‘Holiday’ If PSI Hits 300, As MOE May Close Schools

Primary & Secondary Schools May Close If Haze Worsens

September holidays are officially over and school resumes today (16 Sep) for primary and secondary students. What about the haze, you ask?

With PSI hitting unhealthy levels over the weekend, MOE announced on Sunday (15 Sep) that schools may close if the haze gets worse, which is when the PSI exceeds 300.

But until then, schools will resume as normal with measures in place to ensure that all students remain healthy.

Schools may close if PSI exceeds 300

Back in Sep 2015, MOE closed primary and secondary schools as Singapore’s air quality entered the “hazardous” range.

As the incident coincided with the GCE ‘O’ levels, the examination had to be pushed back as well.

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This time, if the closure happens to clash with national exams like the PSLE, MOE will reschedule the affected papers and extend the exam period.

Safety measures in place for students

Administrative matters aside, MOE has taken precautionary steps to care for students’ well-being.

All classrooms in primary, secondary and Special Education (SPED) schools, as well as MOE kindergartens will come ready with air purifiers.

Teachers will also be monitoring students who appear unwell, or have pre-existing lung or heart conditions.

Parents thus play an important part in ensuring that children with such conditions always have their medication with them.

In addition, MOE released a detailed list of haze management measures which you can view in the table below:

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Current PSI levels are fluctuating

As of 1pm on Monday (16 Sep), PSI levels are in the moderate range, with the highest in the West at 85.

This is down from the close to PSI 100 readings that persisted over the weekend.

Since the haze situation seems to be uncertain, let’s all remember to stay hydrated and look out for each other’s well-being.

Feature image adapted from Callibre.