Compulsory Education (Exemption) Order

Status:

Not current version
(version history — see timeline)

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;

“home visit” means a visit conducted by the Director-General, to any place where the child receives or will receive home-schooling (as the case may be), for the purposes of inspecting and assessing the home-schooling arrangements;

[S 497/2010 wef 01/10/2010]

“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.—(1) 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)

a parent of the child has notified the Director-General, in such form and manner as the Director-General may require, of the arrangements for and the curriculum to be used for home-schooling the child;

(ii)

the Director-General is satisfied that the home-schooling arrangements for the child are appropriate and adequate, and he has approved the home-schooling curriculum submitted by a parent of the child;

(iii)

a parent of the child has signed an undertaking, in such form as the Director-General may determine, that the child will sit for —

(A)	an assessment (however styled) of the effectiveness of the home-schooling at such time, before the child attains the age of 11 years, as the Director-General may determine; and
(B)	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;

(iv)

each parent who provides any home-schooling to the child possesses such qualifications as the Director-General may require;

(v)

the parents of the child do not refuse or obstruct any home visit, which may be of such number and conducted at such times as the Director-General may determine;

(vi)

the Director-General is at all times satisfied that the child will perform at such level of educational achievement as the Director-General may determine for the Primary School Leaving Examination and the National Education Quiz; and

(vii)

the child performs, at the Primary School Leaving Examination and the National Education Quiz, at such level of educational achievement as the Director-General may determine before the child attains the age of 15 years.

[S 497/2010 wef 01/10/2010]

(c)

any child who is a pupil of a designated school;

(ca)

any child who is a pupil of NorthLight School or Assumption Pathway School; and

[S 628/2008 wef 01/01/2009]

(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.

[S 497/2010 wef 01/10/2010]

(2) A reference in sub-paragraph (1)(b)(ii) to a home-schooling curriculum approved by the Director-General includes a home-schooling curriculum approved by him under paragraph 3(b)(i) in force immediately before 1st October 2010 in relation to the child.

[S 497/2010 wef 01/10/2010]

(3) Sub-paragraph (1)(b)(iii) does not apply if a parent of the child has signed a declaration referred to in paragraph 3(b)(ii) in force immediately before 1st October 2010 in relation to that child.

[S 497/2010 wef 01/10/2010]

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. [G.N. No. S 332/2002; S 628/2008; S 497/2010]

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