Compulsory Education Act
(Chapter 51, Section 4(1))
Compulsory Education (Exemption) Order
O 1
G.N. No. S 332/2002

REVISED EDITION 2004
(29th February 2004)
[1st January 2003]
Citation
1.  This Order may be cited as the Compulsory Education (Exemption) Order.
Definitions
2.  In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires —
“designated school” means a school designated by the Director-General under paragraph 4;
“home-schooling” means the provision of primary education by a parent to his child in a place other than a school;
“National Education Quiz” means the National Education Quiz conducted by or under the auspices of the Government for children of compulsory school age at the end of primary education for the purpose of assessing their knowledge in national education;
“Primary School Leaving Examination” means the Primary School Leaving Examination conducted by or under the auspices of the Government for children of compulsory school age at the end of primary education for the purpose of assessing their suitability for secondary education;
“school” has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Education Act (Cap. 87).
Exemption
3.  The following classes of children of compulsory school age shall be exempt from section 3(1) of the Act:
(a)any child who is unable to attend any national primary school due to any physical or intellectual disability;
(b)any child who receives home-schooling, subject to the following terms and conditions:
(i)the home-schooling curriculum is approved by the Director-General;
(ii)a parent of the child has signed a declaration, in such form as the Director-General may determine, that the child will sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination and the National Education Quiz when the child is above the age of 11 years and before he attains the age of 15 years; and
(iii)the Director-General is at all times satisfied that the child will perform at such level as the Director-General may determine for the Primary School Leaving Examination and the National Education Quiz;
(c)any child who is a pupil of a designated school; and
(d)any other child whom the Director-General has determined is unsuitable to attend any national primary school, having regard to the interests and welfare of the child.
Designated schools
4.—(1)  For the purposes of paragraph 3(c), the Director-General may designate any school, not being a national primary school, as a designated school, subject to the following terms and conditions:
(a)the total number of pupils of the school who are citizens of Singapore at each academic standard of the course of education conducted by the school shall be maintained at such level as the Director-General may determine;
(b)the pupils of the school who are citizens of Singapore shall perform at such level as the Director-General may determine for the Primary School Leaving Examination;
(c)the school shall submit to the Director-General, on a half-yearly basis and whenever required by the Director-General, a report on its curricula and the attendance and progress records of its pupils who are citizens of Singapore, and such other information or documents as the Director-General may require; and
(d)where the school is a Muslim religious school, it shall send the reports and other information and documents referred to in sub-paragraph (c) to the Majlis Ugama Islam, Singapura, for submission to the Director-General.
(2)  The Director-General may revoke the designation of any school as a designated school if —
(a)the school fails to comply with any of the terms and conditions specified in sub-paragraph (1); or
(b)the school has been ordered to be closed, or has its registration as such cancelled, under any other written law.