SINGLE-SESSION PRIMARY SCHOOLS

SINGLE-SESSION PRIMARY SCHOOLS

1.

Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Education if he will provide an update on plans to move primary schools to single session and what are the lessons learned or benefits gained by schools that have done so.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: In 2010, seven more primary schools turned single-session, bringing the total number of primary schools on single-session to 83 or 47%. Another five primary schools will turn single-session next year. Most Government and Government-aided primary schools would move to single-session by 2016.

To allow all our primary schools to go single session, MOE plans to build up to 18 new primary schools and enhance the infrastructure of up to 80 existing primary schools in phases. In the first phase, MOE will build 11 new primary schools and upgrade 28 existing schools. With the additional places in the new schools, the Primary 1 intake of existing schools can be reduced to allow them to transit to single session.

Schools that have moved to a single-session model have shared positive feedback about being able to provide a better environment to develop their pupils. By providing pupils with more time and space to interact meaningfully with their teachers, the implementation of single-session model helps balance the acquisition of knowledge with the delivery of skills and imparting of core values to our children. Teachers from all six levels also have a common time to collaborate and share best pedagogical practices.

Single-session school operation has also helped to minimise logistical issues in the scheduling of activities, such as the Programme for Active Learning (PAL). For example, New Town Primary School has been able to schedule two hours of PAL activities within curriculum time on two separate school days and it has sufficient facilities to support the allocation of the classes to participate in the different PAL activities during the PAL time slot.

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