Preschools to stay open even if schools shut down during hazardous haze alerts

At a press briefing on the worsening haze, Education Minister Desmond Lee announced that MOE kindergartens, MOE Kindergarten Care and all ECDA-licensed preschools will stay open even if primary and secondary schools are shut down due to a 24-hour PSI reading of 300 or higher. The decision follows guidance from a task force led by the National Environment Agency, which includes 28 agencies, to advise parents to keep infants at home when hazardous air quality is forecast.

While schools may move to home-based learning, special education schools and primary-secondary student care centres will remain accessible for children without other care options. Lee also noted that the O-Level exams could be rescheduled if hazardous conditions persist, whereas A-Level exams are less likely to be affected. The haze, now in its second week of unhealthy readings, saw central Singapore’s PSI climb to 229, a yearly high.