In the past, and by that I mean the beginning of 2020 to a month ago, if you were identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case, you’d have to pack all your things, self-isolate, make Netflix your home screen, hibernate for several decades, and take thousands of PCR tests before returning to society.
But things are a little different now.
PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are reserved for those who are unwell, and close contacts won’t have to quarantine for as long as they did before.
In fact, they might even be able to return to the classroom immediately.
Students with Negative ART Can Return to School Despite Having Close Contact with COVID-19 Cases
Students who are well and have a negative antigen rapid test result can return to school even if they had been identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) in a joint media release.
As the COVID-19 task force announced on Saturday (9 Oct), close contacts of COVID-19 cases will no longer receive quarantine orders.
This includes students, of course.
Now, if a student is identified as a close contact of a confirmed case, they will be issued a seven-day health risk warning instead.
But if they test negative on an ART before they leave for school daily and are still well, they can return to school.
No More Leave of Absence or Approved Absence
What’s more, MOE will no longer issue leave of absence and approved absence for primary schools, secondary schools, special education schools, junior colleges, and Millennia Institute.
This means that students and staff members currently under quarantine orders, leave of absence, or approved absence can return to school if they are well and test negative on an ART on the day they return to school.
Exam Candidates With Health Risk Warnings Can Still Sit for Papers
There’s more good news for students who receive health risk warnings; your entire year of hard work won’t be wasted.
You can still sit for your national year-end examinations if you:
- Inform the school of your intent to sit for your exam
- Test negative on an ART on the first day
- Test negative on an ART on the day of your exam before leaving home
You will then need to show invigilators a photo of your ART kit with negative results with your identity card next to it.
Students on medical leave will also be allowed to sit for their papers if they have fully recovered, but they must have a negative ART result and show proof of the result to invigilators when they arrive.
As MOE and SEAB explained, national examinations are an “important milestone” in a student’s educational journey, and they recognise students’ preference to have the opportunity to take their national year-end examination where possible.
Grading for Those Who Miss National Exams
So, what happens to those who miss their national exams?
MOE said that these students can apply for special consideration, a provision afforded to students in previous years as well.
As long as they have a valid reason for missing their paper, such as COVID-19 related, compassionate, or medical leave, they can apply for this provision.
Candidates will then be awarded a projected grade “through a fair and rigorous evidence-based methodology”, MOE said.
This will take into account the affected candidate’s performance in other papers for that affected subject in national and school-based examinations, as well as the school cohort’s performance in national and school-based examinations.
Year-end Exams for Primary 3 & 4 Pupils Cancelled
If you’ve been too busy reading Squid Game fan theories for the past week, you’re probably unaware that the year-end examinations for Primary 3 and 4 pupils will be cancelled this year.
MOE made the announcement last Thursday (7 Oct) in a rather lengthy statement that we wrote about here.
The ministry explained in its statement that the cancellation would allow “more time for curriculum recovery due to disruptions brought about by COVID-19.”
Understand the difference between the ART & PCR kits here:
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Featured Image: Facebook (Chan Chun Sing)
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