Health and well-being of students, staff remain top priority amid haze, says Desmond Lee

Amid worsening air quality in Singapore over the past week and the Government announcing its next tier of action plans and advisories, Minister for Education Desmond Lee on Saturday (Oct 10) said the health and well-being of students and staff remain his ministry's top priority.

"I know many parents are concerned about the haze, especially those with children who have medical conditions or are sitting for national examinations," the minister noted at the start of his Facebook post at 5.30pm.

He assured parents that lessons and national examinations will continue in enclosed venues with air purifiers, and schools are ready to step up measures if needed.

Meanwhile, students who are unwell and unable to sit for their national examination may apply for special consideration through their school.

Parents may refer to the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board's website for more information

On school closures, the education minster reiterated that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will consider closing schools and postponing examinations — for that day — if the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) is in the hazardous range.

Readings of above 300 denote that range.

"Any decision to close schools will be announced by around 8pm the day before through schools and MOE’s official channels.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely each day and review whether schools should stay open or be closed the next day," Lee said.

The minister added that more information will be shared with parents via the Parents Gateway over the weekend.

Parents Gateway is a one-stop mobile app developed by MOE and GovTech to connect schools and parents on key administrative matters. It is also used for announcements.

"We appreciate your trust and partnership, and we will continue to take the necessary measures to safeguard the well-being of our students and staff," the minister said.

Haze Task Force announces next tier of action plans

On Friday evening, the Government's Haze Task Force, comprising NEA and 28 Government agencies said it is prepared for the scenario of air quality reaching the very unhealthy range .

"HTF agencies stand ready to roll out the next tier of action plans and advisories to protect the health and well-being of the public, especially vulnerable groups including the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with chronic lung and heart diseases."

It announced various measures such as the distribution of N95 masks for Singaporeans who may be more vulnerable, the opening of haze shelters should PSI cross 201, and advisories relating to preschools, schools and workplaces.

On Saturday morning, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu reiterated the Government's concern about public health, and said she has been in touch with her Indonesian counterpart .

The minister also revealed that Singapore has offered support in managing forest fires.

鉴于新加坡过去一周空气质量持续恶化，政府也宣布了下一阶段的行动计划和建议，教育部长李智陞于周六（10月10日）表示，学生和教职员工的健康和福祉仍然是教育部最重要的优先事项。

“我知道很多家长都担心雾霾问题，尤其是那些孩子患有疾病或正在参加全国性考试的家长，”这位部长在下午 5 点 30 分发布的 Facebook 帖子开头写道。

他向家长保证，课程和全国性考试将在配备空气净化器的封闭场所继续进行，学校也已做好准备，如有必要，将加强防控措施。

与此同时，因病无法参加全国统考的学生可以通过学校申请特殊照顾。

家长可参考新加坡考试与评鉴局网站了解更多信息。

关于停课问题，教育部长重申，如果 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 处于危险范围内，教育部将考虑停课并推迟当天的考试。

读数高于 300 表示该范围。

“任何停课决定都将在前一天晚上8点左右通过学校和教育部的官方渠道宣布。”

李说：“我们将继续每天密切关注情况，并评估学校第二天是否应该继续开放或关闭。”

部长补充说，周末期间将通过家长门户网站向家长分享更多信息。

家长门户网站是由教育部和政府科技局联合开发的一站式移动应用程序，旨在连接学校和家长，处理重要的行政事务，并用于发布公告。

部长表示：“我们感谢你们的信任与合作，并将继续采取必要措施，保障学生和教职员工的福祉。”

雾霾工作组宣布下一阶段行动计划

周五晚上，由国家环境局和 28 个政府机构组成的政府雾霾工作组表示，已做好应对空气质量达到非常不健康范围的准备。

“HTF 各机构已做好准备，推出下一阶段的行动计划和建议，以保护公众的健康和福祉，特别是包括老年人、孕妇、儿童以及患有慢性肺病和心脏病的弱势群体。”

它宣布了各种措施，例如向可能更易受感染的新加坡人分发 N95 口罩，如果 PSI 超过 201，则开放雾霾避难所，以及与幼儿园、学校和工作场所相关的建议。

周六上午，永续发展及环境部长傅海燕重申了政府对公众健康的关注，并表示她已与印尼对口官员取得联系。

部长还透露，新加坡已表示愿意在应对森林火灾方面提供支持。