• The new blended learning programme will start from the third term next year
• By 2022, it will be rolled out to all secondary school and JC students
• Five primary schools will also be involved in a small-scale pilot
• Education Minister Lawrence Wong said this will give students more time to pursue their own interests

SINGAPORE — First introduced in April in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, home-based learning is here to stay, with all secondary schools, junior colleges and the Millennia Institute introducing regularly scheduled days for home-based learning for some students starting from next year. 

At the primary school level, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will conduct a small-scale pilot involving upper primary pupils from five primary schools from next year. The selected schools are Chua Chu Kang Primary, Frontier Primary, Junyuan Primary, River Valley Primary and Yio Chu Kang Primary.

The announcement was made by Education Minister Lawrence Wong during the Appointment and Appreciation Ceremony for Principals on Tuesday (Dec 29).

Explaining the rationale behind the move, Mr Wong said the new blended learning programme will give students more time and opportunity to pursue their own interests and “develop the mindsets and habits for self-directed learning”.

Still, students who require closer supervision, do not have a conducive home environment for learning or need access to certain school facilities may return to school on dedicated home-based learning days, he said.

The new programme will be rolled out to selected levels from the third term next year. By the end of 2022, blended learning will be implemented for all levels across all secondary schools, junior colleges and the Millennia Institute.

In a separate press release, MOE said dedicated home-based learning days will take place around once a fortnight, excluding examination periods. 

For post-secondary students, schools have the option to add additional shorter home-based learning days or another full-day home-based learning day per fortnight.

On these days, about four hours of curriculum will be covered for secondary school students, MOE said. Four to five hours of curriculum will be covered for post-secondary students.

Students will be given at least an hour for their own self-initiated learning.

For the pilot in primary schools, Mr Wong said this is so that MOE can understand how the use of digital devices might affect younger students before deciding if the programme should be broadened to include more primary school pupils.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

MOE will ensure that all students are well equipped for the new programme, said Mr Wong. Under the National Digital Literacy Programme announced by the ministry earlier this year, all secondary school students will own a personal learning device selected by the school by the end of next year. 

Acknowledging that some parents and teachers might have concerns about the affordability of the devices, Mr Wong said all eligible Singaporean students will be given a one-time S$200 Edusave top-up to ensure that they have sufficient funds in their accounts to pay for the device.

For students from low-income households who still require assistance, the school will step in to subsidise the cost to minimise the outlay from their Edusave accounts, he added.

Additional financial support will also be given to students who do not have sufficient funds in their Edusave accounts so that no out-of-pocket payment is required.

MOE is also working together with the Infocomm Media Development Authority to provide subsidised broadband access to low-income students.

On concerns on whether the digital devices will be a distraction, rather than an asset, to learning, Mr Wong said each device will be installed with device management applications to “provide a safe and more regulated digital environment”.

The amount of time students spend on their devices will also be managed, said Mr Wong. 

“This will be further supported by classroom rules and routines,” he added.