Hansard Explorer

Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Education (a) what temperatures classrooms reach with doors and windows closed and air purifiers running, as NEA advises purifiers otherwise "may not work at the specified performance ratings"; and (b) as the Ministry’s haze plan places unwell students in "an air-conditioned room with an air purifier", whether classrooms will be air-conditioned for use whenever the 24-hour PSI exceeds 100.

Ms Valerie Lee asked the Minister for Education in view of recurring haze episodes (a) whether the Ministry will review its school infrastructure standards to incorporate more classrooms with air-conditioning and air filtration capabilities, particularly in new schools and those undergoing major upgrading; and (b) whether a phased implementation approach can be considered to strengthen schools’ resilience against future haze episodes.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question Nos 58 and 59 on today's Order Paper, as well as questions filed by other Members Assoc Prof Terrence Ho, Ms Hany Soh and Ms Diana Pang?

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, the Ministry of Education's (MOE's) priority during a haze situation is the health and well-being of our students and staff. We refer to the Ministry of Health's (MOH's) health advisory and the National Environment Agency's (NEA's) 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) forecast the evening before to plan school operations and activities for the next day. This also gives parents and students advance notice.

On the actual day itself, our schools monitor the one-hour PM2.5 readings as these reflect on-the-ground haze conditions. Our schools can then adjust the measures on the ground based on actual conditions, so as to safeguard the health and well-being of our students and staff.

When the PM2.5 hourly reading is in the elevated range, 56 to 150, schools will turn on air purifiers in the classrooms and close the doors and windows.

To improve ventilation and thermal comfort, schools may reopen doors and windows periodically, such as between lessons, during recess, or when the PM2.5 reading improves, while the air purifiers continue to filter the air.

Classroom fans, which have been upgraded to more powerful ones in recent years, remain switched on to enhance air circulation. Schools may also deploy standing fans or air coolers where needed for classrooms that are warmer.

While heat can rise in enclosed classrooms and cause discomfort, air quality levels remain within regulatory guidelines for safe and adequate ventilation. When windows and doors are open between lessons, even for a short time, both temperature and carbon dioxide levels fall to the prevailing naturally ventilated ambient conditions swiftly.

Students are also allowed to attend lessons in lighter uniform options, such as Physical Education attire.

Prolonged haze conditions can make it more challenging to balance indoor air quality, ventilation and thermal comfort in our schools. In school halls, we are completing the implementation of mixed mode cooling, where air-conditioning is used with fans in a targeted and energy-efficient manner. As shared during the Committee of Supply debate earlier this year, MOE is studying how to extend mixed mode cooling to classrooms, and we will give an update when ready.

When the PM2.5 hourly reading reaches the high range, 151 to 250, schools can continue to operate safely with the appropriate measures in place. Schools will avoid outdoor activities and strenuous indoor physical activities, and students will remain in enclosed indoor spaces with air purifiers. This approach is also in line with guidelines in other countries, such as the United States, Canada and Australia.

While students will have some outdoor exposure when travelling to and from school, these journeys generally involve short periods of outdoor exposure, which can be undertaken safely.

If the 24-hour PSI forecast for the following day is in the hazardous range, that is, 301 and above, MOE will consider closing schools and transitioning to home-based learning for younger students from preschool to secondary levels, because children are advised to avoid outdoor activities at such air quality levels.

MOE does not track student absences due to the haze or other reasons. Students who are unwell should focus on their recovery and schools will provide relevant learning materials and help them catch up on missed lessons where necessary when they return.

Mr Speaker: Mr Tiong.

Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat (Aljunied): Thank you, Speaker. With climate change, our classrooms face what I call "triple H": heat, humidity and haze.

In 1989, this House was told that in exceptional circumstances, such as excessive noise, air-conditioning had been extended to whole schools, including classrooms such as at Jurong Junior College, under the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) flight path.

Keeping students enclosed to shut out the haze and leaving them to stew in the heat and humidity, while air purifiers do their work, is, I think, hard to justify. Will the Ministry reconsider its policy of naturally ventilated classrooms? I am not asking for the air-conditioning to be turned on all the time – only to have the option to turn it on whenever the conditions outside are not conducive to learning.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank Mr Tiong for his question. Our classrooms are designed to optimise passive cooling by natural cross-ventilation, ample window openings supported by ceiling fans. We have progressively strengthened these measures as temperatures have risen, including increasing the number of fans, replacing them with more powerful and energy efficient models.

During the transient haze conditions that have prevailed, we have used mixed mode cooling and allowed students to be in other parts of the school as well. Schools will also ventilate classrooms periodically when conditions permit and deploy additional portable cooling measures where necessary.

MOE continues to explore how passive and active cooling can be combined to strengthen the heat and haze resilience of our schools in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner.

In school halls, we are completing the implementation of mixed mode cooling where air-conditioning is used with fans in a targeted and energy-efficient manner. We are studying how best to further extend mixed mode cooling and will update further.

Mr Speaker: Ms Valerie Lee.

Ms Valerie Lee (Pasir Ris-Changi): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have one supplementary question. Given that the haze is a recurring challenge and given that the vast majority of our students are studying in existing schools, so this is more of a question about retrofitting existing schools, is MOE considered considering a more systematic long-term approach to strengthening the resilience of existing school infrastructure like air-conditioning the rooms and installing pure air purifiers through its regular upgrading programmes?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank Ms Valerie Lee for the question. Indeed, and we will continue to look at the infrastructure in schools, existing as well as upcoming schools, to be able to optimise the ability to provide appropriate cooling for our students in order to allow classes and activities to continue. This will involve the upgrading of existing design features, the cross ventilation, the fans and the use of mixed mode cooling, as I have described.