Debated in Parliament on 7 Nov 2016.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Education (Schools) in light of PSLE students who are affected by train breakdowns (a) whether the Ministry will moderate their examination results to take into account the anxiety faced by them which may impact their performance; (b) how many students have been affected by the recent train disruptions; and (c) what contingency plans are there to help these students cope with their anxiety of turning up late for examinations.
Mdm Speaker, there were no Primary School Leaving Examination candidates late for their Science paper in the recent train service disruption on the Downtown Line on 4 October 2016.
That being said, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) has contingency plans to deal with events that may disrupt the conduct of National Examinations. This is to ensure that examination candidates are not disadvantaged due to major train service disruptions.
Candidates have been briefed by their schools on the contingency plans to manage and cope with major train service disruptions during national examinations if they have them.
On the examination personnel ‒ that means invigilator front ‒ they have also been briefed on the procedures to manage candidates who are late for examinations due to major train service disruptions. For instance, candidates would be allowed time to rest and to calm down before they take their papers. Only when they are given time to calm down would the papers then be given to the candidates. I want to assure the Member that the candidates would receive the full duration of time allotted for the examination.
There are also existing processes in place to ensure fair assessment of the candidates who may be affected by adverse situations. SEAB will review the performance of these candidates on a case-by-case basis, taking into account: (a) the circumstances under which they took the examination; (b) their past years' performance in school examinations; and (c) their schools' recommendations.
PAPERCUTS