COVID-19: Education Minister issues correction directions to Singapore States Times
SINGAPORE — A Facebook post that alleged that Singapore schools are responsible for at least 50 cases of COVID-19 infection among students and teachers was deemed a false statement of fact by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.
Ong has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue two correction directions to the Facebook page of Singapore States Times (SST), and the personal Facebook page of Alex Tan, the SST administrator who shared the original post.
Facebook was also served a target correction direction to communicate a correction notice to all Singapore users, according to a media release from the POFMA Office on Tuesday (5 May).
None of alleged student infections traced back to schools
The SST Facebook page had published a post on Monday (4 May) which stated that “Education Minister Ong Ye Kung is responsible for numerous infections in schools after he refused to close down the schools. The schools were only closed on April 3rd, but at least 50 students and teachers were already infected”.
The statements implied that the students and teachers had become infected with COVID-19 as a result of transmission in schools. Ong has deemed the statements to be false.
The Singapore government clarified on its fact-checking website Factually that, as of 3 April, there were 69 students and staff reported to have been infected with COVID-19.
However, all except three unlinked cases were attributed – after contact tracing and investigations – to transmission via overseas travel, within households, social settings and a non-school workplace (for a part-time student). None of the 69 infections were traced back to Ministry of Education schools, including the Institutes of Higher Learning.
Efforts to ensure safe learning environment
The Singapore government said on the Factually website that schools and teachers have put in “tremendous effort” to ensure students can learn in a safe environment, even before the full Home-Based Learning (HBL) period on 8 April.
“Precautionary measures included establishing new hygiene and cleaning routines for our students, fixed seating and assigned play areas, suspension of co-curricular activities, and placing students who are unwell, have a travel history, or who stay with family members who have a travel history, on a Leave of Absence,” it said on the website.
When schools moved to full HBL on 8 April as part of the circuit breaker measures, their closures did not become a major disruption.
“If MOE had simply closed schools early, say from Feb 2020, we would have disrupted lives significantly, and the impact on students from vulnerable backgrounds would have been immense,” the Singapore government said.
“Instead, we have kept schools open as long as possible, while keeping our students safe.”
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