Education
Education [last updated 5 Apr 2022]
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Centres that continue on-site instruction are required to abide by the nationwide safe management measures (SMMs) for workplaces. More information can be found at https://www.mom.gov.sg/covid-19.
As a default, the following SMMs apply to all centres conducting on-site instruction (whether indoors or outdoors and regardless of activity), except where there are additional SMMs that apply for higher-risk activities such as sports or physical activity, dance, singing, the playing of instruments that require the intentional expulsion of air (e.g. wind/brass instruments), voice training, and speech and drama classes (please refer to Q2 for details on additional SMMs for such classes, and here (please refer to Q3) for indoor classes that involve mask-off activities).
a. Safe distancing. Safe distancing measures for centres include:
i. Students: Safe distancing will continue to be required for all mask-off settings, and encouraged but not required for mask-on settings. This refers to safe distancing of 1m between individuals or organising students into groups of no more than 10 persons, with 1-metre spacing between groups where possible.
ii. Capacity: Mask-on classes can proceed without being subject to any capacity limit, subject to prevailing fire safety and room capacity requirements.
b. Health declarations. Students and staff who are on Health Risk Notice (HRN) are encouraged to minimise unnecessary social interactions. In the event that they need to enter the centre, they may only be allowed to enter the centre if they produce photo-evidence of a negative ART taken on that day.
c. Sharing of equipment. All surfaces in classrooms should be thoroughly disinfected between classes. Sharing of all equipment (e.g. props, microphones) should be avoided as far as possible. If this cannot be done, the equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and/or disinfected before being handled or used by others.
d. Wearing of masks.
i. For indoor classes, masks must be worn as a default at all times, except for persons allowed to use face shields instead of masks (e.g., persons with health conditions resulting in breathing/medical difficulties when a mask is worn for a prolonged period). Instructors are expected to wear a surgical mask or reusable masks of equivalent effectiveness at all times.
ii. For outdoor classes (i.e., held in open spaces), individuals may choose to wear masks for personal protection and to protect others, especially in crowded areas.
e. Ventilation. All premises should abide by the latest guidance on improving ventilation and indoor air quality in buildings amid the COVID-19 situation, available on the NEA website.
Centres should also abide by other sector-specific SMMs available on the GoBusiness website, and to prevailing circulars issued by the Government.
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Additional safe management measures (SMMs) may apply for these classes, subject to different class size and group size limits, depending on the activity, setting, and vaccination status of students.
For all sport or physical activity classes, as well as outdoor dance classes, please refer to the advisory issued by Sport Singapore.
For indoor dance classes, singing, the playing of instruments that require the intentional expulsion of air (e.g. wind/brass instruments), voice training, and speech and drama classes, please refer to the advisory issued by the National Arts Council.
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All indoor activities involving mask-off activities are subject to additional SMMs (on top of the prevailing SMMs that all classes are required to comply with):
a. For all sport or physical activity classes, as well as outdoor dance classes, please refer to the advisory issued by Sport Singapore.
b. For indoor dance classes, singing, the playing of instruments that require the intentional expulsion of air (e.g. wind/brass instruments), voice training, and speech and drama classes, please refer to the advisory issued by the National Arts Council.
c. For classes that require the consumption of food and beverage (F&B) as part of the class (e.g. dining etiquette classes), please refer to the advisory for F&B establishments issued by Enterprise Singapore for the relevant SMMs. Do note that apart from these classes, students should keep their masks on at all times, and not consume any food and drinks during classes, as far as possible
These additional SMMs do not apply to indoor classes if students only remove their masks very briefly, for example, to taste food in a cooking class, and mask up immediately thereafter.
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Home-based tuition/enrichment that conduct in-person lessons will be subject to the prevailing national group size limit and number of unique household visitors allowed at any one time. Individuals who visit private residences to provide tuition and enrichment are strongly advised to only visit other residences if they are fully vaccinated, so as to protect those who are unvaccinated from exposure to the virus. The prevailing national limits can be found at https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19-phase-advisory.
In addition, home ventilation should be improved by opening doors and windows. Fans can be used to promote air circulation when needed.
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Tuition and enrichment teachers are expected to wear surgical masks or reusable masks of equivalent effectiveness at all times while indoors.
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Tuition and enrichment centres may hold live performances (e.g. music concerts or drama performance), subject to adherence to safe management measures as outlined in the advisory issued by the National Arts Council. MOE’s approval is no longer required for performances held on or after 29 March 2022.
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All enterprises in the Private Tuition and Enrichment sector that were on the FET regime have not been required to continue testing since 18 February 2022.
From 29 March 2022, Rostered Routine Testing for all previously mandatory sectors (i.e., healthcare sector, eldercare sector, and settings with children below 5 years old1) will end as well.
1 This included staff as well as third-party vendors in preschools, Early Intervention centres, and Private Education Institutions with children below 5 years old.
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Private tuition/enrichment classes, and training sessions by the Institutes of Higher Learning and SSG-funded training providers, can be conducted at external venues, if those venues are open. Such external venues may include condominium function rooms, private conference and meeting rooms, etc.
Conduct of in-person lessons is subject to premise capacity caps and safe management measures(please refer to Q1). Private providers should approach premise owners for advice on the capacity caps for their respective venues.
There should be a wipe-down regimen after each use at such external venues. Private providers must also adhere to the safe management guidelines for private tuition/enrichment, which are outlined in the FAQs within this section.
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Since 17 May 2021, all tuition and enrichment centres must implement TraceTogether-only SafeEntry (TT-only SafeEntry). It is also mandatory for all tuition and enrichment centres to deploy SafeEntry Gateway (SEGW) to facilitate SafeEntry check-in. Tuition and enrichment centres are reminded to download the SafeEntry (Business) app to use the SEGW function or register for a SEGW box on the SafeEntry website (go.gov.sg/gateway-overview). Centres should maintain attendance records for children below 7 to facilitate contact tracing if required.
Tuition and enrichment centres must ensure that entry to their centres will be allowed only if the individual checks-in using TT-only SafeEntry. This includes staff, students aged 7 years and above, parents and other visitors.
Tuition and enrichment centres located within premises (such as malls) that already require SafeEntry upon entry, need not conduct SafeEntry. However, they will need to do so if they operate outside the hours of the premises or have their own direct entrances separate from the mall entrance.
More information on SafeEntry is available at https://www.safeentry.gov.sg.
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As with tuition and enrichment centres (see Q9), private tutors providing in-person classes operating out of private residences will need to implement TT-only SafeEntry.
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In line with the prevailing safe management measures, food and drinks should not be provided. Students should keep their masks on at all times (for indoor classes), and not consume any food and drinks during classes, as far as possible.
If necessary, for example, during full day workshops or courses, students may bring their own packed food, and consume the food and drinks, subject to additional safe management measures in Q2 and Q3 as applicable.
These additional safe management(please refer to Q3) measures also apply for classes that require the consumption of food and beverage as part of the class (e.g. dining etiquette classes).
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Students are strongly encouraged to keep their masks on throughout class as much as possible. If necessary as part of the lesson, transient mask-off activities such as food tasting are allowed, subject to safe management measures specified in Q1.
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For Early Intervention (EI) services provided to pre-school children (aged 0 - 6), please refer to ECDA’s guidelines on EI services.
In addition to aligning with MOH guidelines on healthcare services, group therapy for all non-public Healthcare Institutions AHS, including psychology services, is capped at a maximum of 10 clients per session (count excludes AHPs and support staff).
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Tuition and enrichment centres are responsible for ensuring that all safe management measures are implemented in their premises at all times. To ensure compliance, inspectors from MOE will be conducting inspections to check on the proper implementation of the SMMs. Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, first-time offenders will face a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. For subsequent offences, they may face a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to twelve months, or both.
We strongly urge all private providers to exercise social responsibility, and to abide by the Safe Management Measures.